SWANSEA CITY aim to take a step closer to their Premier League goal tomorrow – backed by a 12th man.

While the minds of the city are all on tomorrow’s play-off semi-final decider with Nottingham Forest, thoughts at the Liberty Stadium will today turn to lost Swan Besian Idrizaj.

It is a year today that the promising striker died in his sleep of a suspected heart attack aged just 22, shocking Swansea’s players and supporters to the core.

The tragic events prompted Swans fans to launch an impromptu tribute; scarves, shirts, flowers and photos covering one of the gates at the Liberty before supporters then created a giant mosaic displaying Idrizaj’s No. 40 shirt for the side’s first home game of the new season.

In turn, Swansea’s stars dedicated the Championship campaign to the former Liverpool youngster, promising to keep his memory alive.

Now, as the side stands on the brink of an incredible promotion success, goalkeeper Dorus de Vries has insisted Swansea have not forgotten their friend and former colleague.

And, instead, the Dutchman has claimed his spirit is still with the Swans as they seek to give him the perfect promotion tribute.

“It can be easy to forget – but that’s not the case with us,” said de Vries.

“A lot of us still talk about him. He is still in our thoughts. He was a great colleague, a great teammate, but he was also a great friend and you can’t just forget that.

“We said as a group that this year would be for him and hopefully we are doing him proud this season.

“Sometimes, he’s there in the back of our minds and with us – and sometimes you just say after a game ‘Hey, this one’s for you’.

“Unfortunately, he’s not here now to enjoy these moments with us when he had the quality to be part of it, but he is here in our thoughts and it would be great to do it for him.

“That’s why it was so special in that first game against Preston. You could sense something that day.”

Swansea came together as a club to honour Idrizaj in the campaign’s Liberty opener against Preston back in August, the Austrian U21 international’s squad number being retired ahead of the game, while a minute’s silence in his memory was accompanied by thousands of black and white scarves being held aloft at the same time as the giant mosaic.

“The fans’ response was incredible,” said de Vries. “To see his shirt like that was really something, and then we won 4-0 – just like his shirt – and that makes you question if special things happen sometimes. I’m sure it did that day.

“I’m sure he looked over at us that day and could be proud – and I’m sure he is proud of what we’re doing right now.”

Idrizaj had suffered issues with his health through his fledgling career, twice collapsing in training at previous clubs.

But after several scans and genuine scrutiny over issues with his heart he had been cleared to continue with his ambitions of making it big, Paulo Sousa having signed him from a German lower league club in a bid to reiginite his hopes of breaking through in British football.

And although he made just four appearances after arriving in Swansea, he had been tipped to play a much greater part in the new season.

“This was supposed to be his year,” added de Vries.

“He never quite made that impact in his first year, but he was a gifted player and we could all see that working with him every day.

“The idea was that he might take a bit of time settling in, getting up to the pace and getting used to training at a higher level again after the problems he had before.

“He was still young and the plan was for him to push on this season – but he never got that chance.”

The last campaign had only finished two weeks earlier when news of Idrizaj’s death in his native homeland filtered through, de Vries the first Swan to find out after his girlfriend Joni received the heartbreaking news from Idrizaj’s partner.

“I will never forget the day I got the call,” recalled de Vries. “His girlfriend texted mine and I had to phone some of the lads like Shefki Kuqi who was very close to him and then the captain Garry Monk.

“They were calls I wish I never had to make.

“It was a bitter loss for all of us and it took some getting used to – and it still does.”

Former Swans striker Kuqi made the dash to Austria to comfort Idrizaj’s family and attend the funeral, while players held their own private service in South Wales.

Having both shared a Kosovan background, Kuqi and Idrizaj had become extremely close to each other during their Swansea spell, Kuqi still visibly affected by the loss when he left the club in January.

Kuqi was quick to unveil a shirt message in honour of his pal after his first goal of the season against Barnet back in August, Stephen Dobbie having done the same at Wembley during his play-off winning loan-spell at Blackpool.

Now Swansea have the chance to deliver a fitting tribute as a team as they stand just two games from their top-flight dreams.

Yet while de Vries hopes to make his pal proud, he insisted his sorrowful tale is also a reminder of life’s true worth when the glory can often seem like the be-all and end-all.

“It has been hard, but hopefully we are doing him proud and his family can be proud of the support they had from the fans and from the club,” said the 30-year-old stopper.

“Whatever happens this season, hopefully we’ve done him proud because it’s a reminder to put things in perspective.

“You’re not playing for life or death, we’re playing football, for enjoyment, playing for positive things like promotion and the Premier League and the happiness of a city.

“It is not life or death and we know that after what happened. It makes you think sometimes of the bigger picture.

“It would be great to do it for him but we will always remember him whatever happens.”